Methods of manufacturing integrated circuits having FinFET structures with epitaxially formed source/drain regions

ABSTRACT

Methods of manufacturing semiconductor integrated circuits having FinFET structures with epitaxially formed source and drain regions are disclosed. A method of fabricating an integrated circuit includes forming a plurality of silicon fin structures on a semiconductor substrate, epitaxially growing a silicon material on the fin structures, wherein a merged source/drain region is formed on the fin structures, and anisotropically etching at least one of the merged source drain regions to form an un-merged source/drain region.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This Application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/674,142, filed on Nov. 12, 2012.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to methods for fabricatingsemiconductor devices, and more particularly relates to methods ofmanufacturing semiconductor integrated circuits having FinFET structureswith epitaxially formed source and drain regions.

BACKGROUND

In contrast to traditional planar metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effecttransistors (MOSFETs), which are fabricated using conventionallithographic fabrication methods, non-planar FETs incorporate variousvertical transistor structures. One such transistor structure is the“FinFET,” which takes its name from the multiple thin silicon “fins”that are used to form the respective gate channels, and which aretypically on the order of tens of nanometers in width.

A FinFET is a type of transistor that can be fabricated using very smallscale processes. FIG. 1 is a simplified perspective view of a FinFET100, which is formed on a semiconductor wafer substrate 102. As shown inFIG. 1, each fin 104 extends between a source region 106 and a drainregion 108 of FinFET 100. FinFET 100 includes a gate structure 110 thatis formed across fins 104. The gate structure 110 typically includesmultiple layers of gate electrode (conducting materials) and gatedielectric (high-k) (not shown in FIG. 1). The surface area of the fins104 in contact with gate structure 110 determines the effective channelof FinFET 100.

Similar to planar transistors, source and drain silicide layers may beformed on the source and drain regions 106, 108 of FinFET 100. However,since the fins 104 of FinFETs such as FinFET 100 are typically narrow,current crowding may occur. In addition, it is difficult to land contactplugs onto the source/drain 106, 108 portions of the fins 104. One knownsolution to alleviate this problem is the formation of epitaxialsemiconductor layers on the fins to increase their volumes using knownepitaxy processes.

In one known example, selective epitaxial growth (SEG) technology may beemployed. In the prior art, SEG technology has been widely used at 32 nmnode and beyond in planar CMOS technology. The SEG is performed onsource/drain areas using, for example, SiGe for p-type transistors andSi:C for n-type transistors. SEG is typically performed afterpolysilicon gate and spacer formation (in gate first flow processes) orbefore replacement gate (RMG) formation (in gate last flow processes).SEG is beneficially employed for stress engineering (i.e. to enhanceelectron mobility) and also for lower source/drain resistance. In knownSEG process, silicon atoms only nucleate and grow on a silicon surface(and not on a silicon oxide or nitride surface) by using a single-waferprocess chamber (at reduced pressure, for example less than 50 Torr, andat reduced temperature, for example less than 600° C.) with SiCl₂H₂ orSiCl₄/H₂, for example, as precursor gases. The precursor gasses can alsobe mixed with some percentage of germanium for SiGe growth, or dopants(e.g., C, B, P, and/or As) for in-situ doping.

The epitaxial processes (SEG), however, suffer from drawbacks. FIG. 2illustrates a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor structureincluding source (or alternatively drain) region (which also includespart of the original fin 104) and epitaxy layer 106 a epitaxially grownon the source/drain region at fin 104. In contrast to conventionalplanar devices, the volumes of source/drain regions are not confined byshallow trench isolation (STI) regions 116. Since epitaxy layer 106 amay have a growth rate smaller on (111) planes than on other planes, theouter surface of epitaxy layer 106 a may not have a rectangular (ornear-rectangular) profile as that of the original fin 104. Instead,epitaxy layer 106 a may extend laterally and form facets 118 (typicallythe (111) plane of Si). This may cause a reduction in the distancebetween epitaxy layers grown from neighboring fins, as becomes moreapparent in FIG. 3 wherein two fins are illustrated. Accordingly, theamount of SEG in which the epitaxially grown layers growing fromneighboring fins will not merge is reduced.

Again, the exposed source/drain region of the fins, using SEG in aFinFET architecture, is grown larger (laterally and vertically) intodiamond shape due to slower epitaxial silicon growth on the (111)surface. Thus, for a given fin-pitch, there is a trade-off between theamount of SEG able to be grown on the source/drain regions (for stressengineering and low resistance) and the amount of spacing adjacent tothe source/drain regions of the fins (for avoiding electrical short).Referring to FIG. 4, this problem becomes particularly apparent in thecontext of alternatively doped adjacent fins, after a silicide layer 112is deposited. As shown therein, a short would result due to theadjacency of the silicide layer 112 over neighboring n-type and p-typedoped source/drain regions.

One solution to this problem know in the prior art describes methods tocontrol the source/drain profile after SEG by performing an in-situ etchcycle (by adding etching gases, e.g. HCl) in the same SEG chamberwithout breaking the vacuum. See Su et al., U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication no. 2011/0210404 A1, published on Sep. 1, 2011, and entitled“Epitaxy Profile Engineering for FinFETs.” As illustrated therein, justtwo cycles of SEG-etch-SEG-etch can result in ellipse shape (or eggshape) of the fins, and desirably result in smaller lateral growth insubsequent SEG steps.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide improved methods ofmanufacturing semiconductor integrated circuits having FinFET structureswith epitaxially formed source and drain regions. Furthermore, otherdesirable features and characteristics of the present invention willbecome apparent from the subsequent detailed description of theinvention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, the brief summary, and this background of theinvention.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Methods of manufacturing semiconductor integrated circuits having FinFETstructures with epitaxially formed source and drain regions. Inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment, a method of fabricating anintegrated circuit includes forming a plurality of silicon finstructures on a semiconductor substrate, forming disposable spacers onvertical sidewalls of the fin structures, and depositing a silicon oxidematerial over the fins and over the disposable spacers. The methodfurther includes anisotropically etching at least one of the finstructures and the disposable spacers on the sidewalls of the at leastone fin structure, thereby leaving a void in the silicon oxide material,and etching the silicon oxide material and the disposable spacers fromat least one other of the fin structures, while leaving the at least oneother fin structure un-etched. Still further, the method includesepitaxially growing a silicon material in the void and on the un-etchedfin structure. An un-merged source/drain region is formed in the voidand a merged source/drain region is formed on the un-etched finstructure.

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, a method of fabricatingan integrated circuit includes forming a plurality of silicon finstructures on a semiconductor substrate, epitaxially growing a siliconmaterial on the fin structures, wherein a merged source/drain region isformed on the fin structures, and anisotropically etching at least oneof the merged source drain regions to form an un-merged source/drainregion.

This brief summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the detaileddescription. This summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subjectmatter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction withthe following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote likeelements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric schematic view of a FinFET structure available inthe prior art;

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an epitaxial layer grownfrom a semiconductor fin;

FIG. 3 illustrates the merging of the epitaxial source/drain layersgrown from neighboring fins, wherein voids are generated when theepitaxy layers merge;

FIG. 4 illustrates merged source/drain areas between n- and p-type fins,with a silicide layer formed thereover;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an intermediate stage in themanufacturing of a FinFET in accordance with an embodiment;

FIGS. 6-10 illustrate a method for epitaxially forming the source/drainregions in a FinFET structure in accordance with one embodiment;

FIGS. 11A-11C provide a flow diagram of the method illustrated in FIGS.6-10;

FIGS. 12-14 illustrate a method for epitaxially forming the source/drainregions in a FinFET structure in accordance with another embodiment; and

FIGS. 15A-15C provide a flow diagram of the method illustrated in FIGS.12-14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and isnot intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of theinvention. As used herein, the word “exemplary” means “serving as anexample, instance, or illustration.” Thus, any embodiment describedherein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other embodiments. All of the embodiments describedherein are exemplary embodiments provided to enable persons skilled inthe art to make or use the invention and not to limit the scope of theinvention which is defined by the claims. Furthermore, there is nointention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented inthe preceding technical field, background, brief summary, or thefollowing detailed description.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are generally directed to methodsof manufacturing semiconductor integrated circuits having FinFETstructures with epitaxially formed source and drain regions. Broadlyspeaking, in one embodiment, a method to form either a merged or anun-merged source/drain structure epitaxially over one or more finsincludes forming disposable sidewall spacers over the fins beforeperforming the SEG procedures (for directing SEG growth upward only).Broadly speaking, in another embodiment, a method to form an un-mergedsource/drain structure epitaxially over one or more fins includesperforming the SEG procedures and then anisotropically wet or dryetching in the merged area between fins to separate the mergedsource/drain area. Each embodiment is described in greater detail below.As such, in both embodiments, both the merged and un-merged source/drainareas of fins are readily available at a given fin-pitch, not only foroptimizing stress engineering and low resistance but also for optimizingthe design of specific logic blocks on the integrated circuit.

Advantageously, the embodiments disclosed herein are simple to executeand can easily be inserted into a typical FinFET flow as a processmodule. Secondly, the methods described herein preserve the greateramounts of silicon formed by the SEG process but also maintain spacingbetween adjacent fins (for eliminating electrical shorting). Thirdly,the disclosed methods allow for both merged and un-merged source/drainareas to be readily formed; therefore, these methods optimize not onlydevice performance (among stress engineering, low resistance, and goodisolation with no shorting) but also the performance of specific logicblocks in the integrated circuit. Still further benefits will beappreciated by those having ordinary skill in the art based on thefollowing description of exemplary methods.

Reference is now made to FIG. 5, which illustrates conventionalprocedures in the formation of a FinFET structure prior to performingany SEG procedures. The integrated circuit structure includes substrate520, which may be a bulk silicon substrate. Substrate 520 may be dopedwith a p-type or an n-type impurity (see also FIG. 4). Isolationregions, such as shallow trench isolation (STI) regions 522 may beformed in substrate 520. Fin 524 is formed over top surfaces of STIregions 522. In one example, fin 524 may be formed by removing topportions of STI regions 522, so that a portion of substrate 520 betweenneighboring STI regions 522 becomes a fin. Alternatively, in anotherexample, fin 524 may be formed on top of substrate 520 by an epitaxialgrowth. Other fin formation methods are known in the art.

In an embodiment, substrate 520 has a surface orientation of (100), andfin 524 extends along the <110> direction. In other embodiments,substrate 520 may have other surface orientations such as (110), inwhich case fin 524 may extend in directions such as <100>. A gatedielectric (not shown), which may be formed of silicon oxide, high-kdielectric materials, or the like, is formed on the top surface andsidewalls of fin 524. Gate electrode 528 is formed on the gatedielectric. Gate spacers 532 are formed on the sidewalls of gateelectrode 528. As noted above, the methods described herein can beinserted as a process module into a typical bulk-FinFET process flow,the beginnings of which are illustrated by way of example in FIG. 5.

For the sake of brevity, further details of the conventional techniquesrelated to FinFET semiconductor device fabrication are not described indetail herein. Moreover, the various tasks and process steps describedherein may be incorporated into a more comprehensive procedure orprocess having additional steps or functionality not described in detailherein. In particular, various steps in the manufacture of semiconductorbased transistors are well known and so, many conventional are only bementioned briefly herein or are omitted entirely without providing thewell-known process details. As such, the embodiments described herein,again for the sake of brevity, commence discussion after the fin andgate structures have been formed, as illustrated in FIG. 5.

In the subsequent discussion, cross-sectional views are used to explainthe concept of the embodiments. Unless specified otherwise, thecross-sectional views are obtained in vertical planes (referred to assource/drain planes hereinafter) crossing lines at the same position asline A-A in FIG. 5. It is noted that line A-A crosses the (to-be-formed)source/drain region, but not gate electrode 528.

As noted above, in one embodiment, both merged and un-mergedsource/drain regions may be formed advantageously by depositing adisposable spacer over the fins prior to the performance of any SEGprocedures. With reference now to FIG. 6, after the conventional gatepatterning and etching described above, a disposable spacer layer 541 isformed on the sidewalls of the fins 524. The disposable spacer layer 541can be, for example, amorphous carbon or silicon nitride. Methods forforming sidewall spacers with these materials are well known in the art.Thereafter, a blanket layer of silicon oxide 540 or other dielectricmaterial is blanket deposited over the substrate, including over thefins 524 and over the sidewall spacers 541. The layer 540 may bedeposited by, for example, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or otherknown method, and also planarized by Chemical-Mechanical-Polish (CMP) asillustrated in FIG. 6.

Thereafter, with reference now to FIG. 7, a masking layer is patterned(via known photoresist/lithography procedures, for example) on thesurface of the layer 540 (not shown). In particular, the pattern isformed such that only the fins 524 that are desired to have un-mergedsource/drain regions remain un-masked. In this manner, when ananisotropic etching step is performed to etch-back the material beneaththe un-masked regions, the fins 524 and the disposable spacer materialis removed to leave voids 542, as illustrated in FIG. 7. Suitableanisotropic etchants are well-known in the art.

The non-etched fins (and disposable spacers associated therewith) whichwere masked during the aforementioned anisotropic etching step remain inplace. These remaining fins are the fins that are desired to have mergedsource/drain regions. Thereafter, the masking layer may be removed, anda subsequent masking layer may be deposited over the oxide layer 540adjacent to voids 542 (FIG. 7), followed by removal of the oxide layerand the disposable spacers 541 surrounding the remaining fins, as shownin FIG. 8. In one example, HF can be used to remove the disposablespacers 541 without etching and of the fins 524. In this manner, thereis a complete void 544 between adjacent fins 524 that are desired tohave merged source/drain regions.

It will be appreciated that, although the fins 524 that are to havemasked and un-masked source/drain regions are illustrated separated inFIGS. 7 and 8, respectively, patterning and masking can be performed soas to form any combination of the fins 524 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 on anygiven integrated circuit.

Turning now to FIGS. 9 and 10, conventional SEG procedures arethereafter performed. In areas where the spacers 541 and fins 524 havebeen removed between the remaining oxide layer 540 (i.e., the voids 542shown in FIG. 7), epitaxial silicon is grown in a confined manner in thevoids 542 as shown in FIG. 9. The result is rectangular shapedsource/drain regions 550 that are un-merged. In areas where the fins 524remain and the oxide layer 540 has been removed (i.e., the complete void544 shown in FIG. 10), epitaxial silicon is grown in the traditionaldiamond shape, as discussed above. The result is the traditional mergedsource/drain regions 560 (area of merger shown as 561). In this manner,about the same amount of epitaxial silicon can be grown in both mergedand un-merged areas, desirably resulting in optimal stress andresistance characteristics in the source/drains regions, irrespective ofwhether the source/drain regions are merged or un-merged. The sidewallsof un-merged fins are (110) orientation at the surface and are spacedapart from adjacent fins. The merged fins have diamond shape and are(111) orientation at the surface.

Moreover, the steps illustrated in FIGS. 7-10 can be repeated toepitaxially grow source/drain regions with different semiconductormaterials on Si substrate, for example, SiGe (with Ge from 10% to 50%),Si:C (with C from 1% to 3%), group III-V (GaAs, InSb), group II-VI(ZnSe, CdS), etc. That is, certain fins 524 will remain maskedthroughout the first repetition of the steps shown in FIGS. 7-10 whenfins of a first material type is grown, and thereafter will be subjectedto the described procedures using a material of another type in asubsequent repetition of the steps.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a complete process flow thatincorporates the procedures set forth above with regard to FIGS. 6-10.In particular, block 600 illustrates a complete conventional FinFETprocess flow. As all steps shown therein are conventional, theindividual steps recited will not be explicated further. As illustratedin FIG. 11, the procedures described above can easily be incorporatedinto the conventional process flow 600 by replacing the conventionp-type/n-type epitaxial source/drain formation steps with steps 601-604,which correspond with the steps illustrated in FIGS. 6-10. Particularly,at step 601, the disposable spacers are formed about the fins, and thenthe oxide layer is blanket deposited over the substrate. At step 602, apatterned masking layer is deposited, leaving the fins desired to haveun-merged source/drain regions formed thereon exposed. The exposed finsare anisotropically etched back, leaving voids between the oxide layer.At step 603, a further masking step is performed to mask the oxide layerbetween the voids, and exposing the area over the fins that are desiredto be merged. For these fins, the oxide layer and the disposable spacersare removed, leaving the fins intact with complete voids formedtherebetween. Subsequently, at step 604, the SEG procedures areperformed to epitaxially grow silicon. Rectangular, un-mergedsource/drain regions will be formed in the voids between the remainingoxide layer. Traditional “diamond” shaped, merged source/drain regionswill be formed on the fins with complete voids therebetween. Again,steps 602-604 can be repeated where differently doped source/drainregions are desired.

As further noted above, in another embodiment of the present disclosure,un-merged source/drain regions may be formed advantageously byperforming the SEG procedures in the conventional manner and thenanisotropically wet or dry etching in the merged area between fins toseparate the merged source/drain area. An exemplary method isillustrated with regard to FIGS. 12-14. As shown in FIG. 12, atraditional merged source/drain region is first formed on fins 760 usingconventional SEG procedures (the area of merger being indicated by 761).The source/drain regions may be differently grown by SEG with varioussemiconductor materials on the Si fins as illustrated.

Thereafter, with reference now to FIG. 13, the exemplary method includespatterning a masking layer over the integrated circuit that leavesexposed the source/drain regions that are desired to be un-merged, andparticularly the merged areas 761 thereof. A wet anisotropic etch isthen performed to separate the merged source/drain region, that is, toetch the merged area 761. In one example, TMAH is suitable as a wetanisotropic etchant of Si. In another example, KOH is suitable as a wetanisotropic etchant of Si. Both TMAH and KOH have an etch rate that isabout 10-100 times faster on the Si (100) and (110) surface than on the(111) surface, thereby allowing the merged tips of the “diamond” shapeto be separated (area 762 of FIG. 13) without detrimentally etching muchof the other portions (111) surface of the source/drain regions.

Thereafter, a dry etching procedure is employed to widen the spacingbetween the now un-merged source/drain region, as shown in FIG. 14 (area763), with the “diamond” shape also etched and down-sized accordingly.Suitable dry etching procedures are known in the art, such as a plasmaetching based on Fluorine chemistry in one example.

Beneficially, this method does not add any thermal cycles to theconventional base-line flow and also both the “merged” and “un-merged”source/drain areas are formed on the same integrated circuit foroptimizing logic blocks. As shown in the flow diagram in FIG. 15, theexemplary method steps 801-802 may simply be inserted into theconventional process flow 600 after the convention p-type/n-typeepitaxial source/drain formation steps. Particularly, at step 801, apatterned masking layer is applied to the integrated circuit, leavingexposed only those source/drain regions that are desired to beun-merged. Thereafter, at step 802, an anisotropic wet etchant, such asTMAH or KOH is applied to un-merge the merged area of the non-maskedsource/drain regions, in the manner noted above. Further, a dry etchantcan be employed to widen the resulting space, to a desired width.

Thereafter, further processing steps can be performed to complete thefabrication of the integrated circuit, as are well-known in the art.Further steps conventionally include, for example, further etching ofthe gate structures, the formation of contacts, and the formation of oneor more patterned conductive layer across the device with dielectriclayers thereinbetween, among many others. In this regard, reference canbe made to block 600 of either FIG. 11 or FIG. 15, which shows the stepsin a convention FinFET fabrication flow process. The subject matterdisclosed herein is not intended to exclude any subsequent processingsteps to form and test the completed integrated circuit as are known inthe art.

While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in theforegoing detailed description of the invention, it should beappreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also beappreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments areonly examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability,or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the foregoingdetailed description will provide those skilled in the art with aconvenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment of theinvention, it being understood that various changes may be made in thefunction and arrangement of elements described in an exemplaryembodiment without departing from the scope as set forth in the appendedclaims and their legal equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of fabricating an integrated circuitcomprising: forming a plurality of silicon fin structures on asemiconductor substrate; epitaxially growing a silicon material on thefin structures and forming a merged source/drain region on the finstructures as a result of said epitaxial growing, the mergedsource/drain region being defined as epitaxial growths on twoneighboring fins structures of the plurality of fins structures joiningtogether to form a contiguous epitaxial growth; and anisotropicallyetching the merged source drain region and forming an un-mergedsource/drain region as a result of said anisotropic etching, theun-merged source/drain regions being defined as the epitaxial growths ontwo neighboring fin structures of the plurality of fin structures thatare noncontiguous and have open space between the epitaxial growths. 2.The method of claim 1, further comprising further etching the un-mergedsource/drain region to widen an area between respective un-mergedsources/drains.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein further etchingcomprises dry etching.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein anisotropicallyetching comprises etching with TMAH.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinanisotropically etching comprises etching with KOH.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising forming a patterned masking layer over theplurality of fin structures prior to anisotropic etching, whereinregions over fins that are desired to have un-merged source/drainregions are left un-masked.
 7. The method of claim 1, whereinepitaxially growing the silicon material comprises epitaxially growing adoped silicon material.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein epitaxiallygrowing the silicon material is performed in two steps, a first step ofwhich employing a first type of doped silicon material and a second stepof which employing a second type of doped silicon material.
 9. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the step of anisotropically etching at leastone of the merged source drain regions is integrated into a conventionFinFET process flow by adding said step subsequent to conventionalp-type/n-type epitaxial source/drain formation steps.
 10. A method offabricating an integrated circuit comprising: forming a first finstructure and a second fin structure on a semiconductor substrate,wherein both of the first and second fin structures comprises lateralsides; epitaxially growing silicon material facets on the lateral sidesof both the first and second fin structures, wherein said epitaxialgrowing comprises physically merging a first facet of the first finstructure with a first facet of the second fin structure to form anepitaxial silicon material bridge structure between connecting betweenthe first fin structure and the second fin structure; and etching, usinga first, wet anisotropic etching process, the bridge structure so as toremove the bridge structure and form a separation space between thefirst facet of the first fin structure and the first facet of the secondfin structure; and etching, using a second, dry anisotropic etchingprocess, lateral ends of the first facet of the first fin structure andthe first facet of the second fin structure to increase the separationspace.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein epitaxially growing thesilicon material facets comprises growing the silicon material along(100) and (110) planes at a rate that is faster than along (111) plane.12. The method of claim 11, wherein epitaxially growing the siliconmaterial forms diamond-shaped structures over the first and second finsstructures, and wherein the facets comprise lateral vertex portions ofthe diamond-shaped structures.
 13. The method of claim 10, whereinetching using the first, wet etching process comprises etching along the(100) and (110) planes at a rate that is faster than along the (111)plane.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein etching using the first, wetetching process comprises etching using TMAH or KOH.
 15. The method ofclaim 10, wherein etching using the second, dry etching processcomprises using a plasma-based fluorine chemistry.
 16. The method ofclaim 15, wherein etching using the second, dry etching processcomprises etching lateral ends of all facets of the first and second finstructures.
 17. The method of claim 10, wherein the first fin structureforms a portion of a pFET and wherein the second fin structure forms aportion of an nFET.
 18. The method of claim 10, wherein the siliconmaterial further comprises germanium.
 19. A method of fabricating anintegrated circuit comprising: forming a plurality of fin structuresover a semiconductor substrate; forming a source region and a drainregion of the plurality of fin structures; performing a selectiveepitaxial growth process to epitaxially grow a silicon material in thesource and drain regions; forming a masking layer of the plurality offin structures; patterning the masking layer to expose the source anddrain regions of the plurality of fin structures while leaving remainingportions of the plurality of fin structures masked; subjecting theexposed source and drain regions to an anisotropic, wet etching process,wherein said wet etching process etches the silicon material along afirst plane at a rate that is faster than etching the silicon materialalong a second plane; and subjecting the exposed source and drainregions to an anisotropic, dry etching process.
 20. The method of claim19, further comprising forming silicided regions at the source and drainregions using the epitaxially-grown silicon material and forming contactstructures to the silicided regions.